PLANS for a multi-million pound safety centre in Wroughton to educate the public about the dangers of fire are edging closer as new artistic impressions have been released.

The images of the £3.4m “state-of-the-art interactive educational facility”, which will be based in an area of Wroughton Airfield, give an insight into what people can expect from the centre which is being developed by Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

In the longer term, the centre, which will be located on land owned by the Science Museum Group at Wroughton, will be run by the established SafeWise charity.

Aimed at people of all ages, the new artistic impressions show how the centre will be designed as a realistic life-size indoor village, with ‘zones’ that aim to educate visitors on different risks.

Examples include a full-size house showcasing the most common causes of accidents and fires, a health zone focusing on first aid, healthy eating, safe money handling and e-safety, a realistic road safety scenario for pedestrian, cycle, motorcycle and vehicles and a crime zone that will encourage visitors to consider the consequences of their actions.

A total of £2.4m for the project has come from the Government’s Transformation fund, following a successful bid by Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, with the service investing the remaining £1m.

A full planning application has been submitted to Swindon Borough Council outlining the specification for the safety centre and the use of the converted hangar.Subject to obtaining planning approval, it is anticipated that the building work will start this July for completion in early 2018 ready for opening later in the year.

Applications to tender for the safety centre construction work have now been issued and the contractors to carry out the work are hoped to be appointed by the end of April.

Workshops have already been held to determine the sorts of facilities that would benefit the core target age groups of under five-year-olds, Year Five students, Year Nine students, young drivers and over 65s.

Last year, young people from Shaw Primary School and Lydiard Academy supported these workshops as many pupils have attended a similar educational facility in Gloucester.

The site will also have a community café, to offer work placement opportunities for young adults, and a series of flexible meeting rooms for partners and community groups to hire.

More information about the fire safety centre can be found at www.dwfire.org.uk/wiltshire-safety-centre